Excited-State-Selective Ultrafast Relaxation Dynamics and Photoisomerization of trans-4,4'-Azopyridine.

Abstract

Excited-state dynamics of trans-4,4'-azopyridine in ethanol is studied using femtosecond transient absorption with 30 fs temporal resolution. Exciting the system at three different wavelengths, 460 and 290 (275) nm, to access the S1 nπ* and S2 ππ* electronic states, respectively, reveals a 195 cm-1 vibrational coherence, which suggests that the same mode is active in both nπ* and ππ* relaxation channels. Following S1-excitation, relaxation proceeds via a nonrotational pathway, where a fraction of the nπ* population is trapped in a planar minimum (lifetime, 2.1 ps), while the remaining population travels further to a second shallow minimum (lifetime, 300 fs) prior to decay into the ground state. Population of the S2 state leads to 30 fs nonrotational relaxation with a concurrent buildup of nπ* population and nearly simultaneous formation of hot ground-state species. An increase in the cis-isomer quantum yield upon ππ* versus nπ* excitation is observed, which is opposite to trans-azobenzene.